EXCLUSIVE — The campaign arm of Senate Republicans is standing firm in supporting former GOP Sen. John Sununu’s bid to reclaim his New Hampshire seat, telling donors in a memo obtained by the Washington Examiner that he embodies the state’s “independent streak.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee document does not mention President Donald Trump, and it remains to be seen how Sununu would navigate an endorsement, if it comes, in a state that leans Democratic.
The committee’s pitch to donors comes as it rallies around its preferred “battle-tested” and “respected” candidate to flip the blue seat over that of GOP rival Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator.
“Sununu enters as a broadly popular Republican whose profile reflects New Hampshire’s independent streak,” the memo states. “With a favorable trendline in voter registration, broad support for Republicans’ working-class economic agenda, and a candidate who can unite the party and win independents, New Hampshire is officially in play.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who ousted Sununu from his seat in 2008, is retiring and will not seek reelection next year. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), bolstered by national Democrats, will likely be his party’s nominee.
Senate Republicans are “all-in” for Sununu, according to NRSC Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC). The committee is hosting a Washington fundraiser for Sununu next month, per Axios.
Brown served as Trump’s ambassador to New Zealand in his first term. Still, the president is reportedly weighing a Sununu endorsement. Sununu’s brother, former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, was a longtime critic of Trump but ultimately backed him for president.
The Brown campaign, in a memo of their own that was set to be released Monday afternoon and viewed by the Washington Examiner, countered with “five reasons the Sununu candidacy is doomed.” His camp said Sununu is “outdated” and not supportive enough of Trump; an “insider” facing “outsider” Brown; lacks backing from grassroots conservatives; and is being conflated by voters for “his more popular and charismatic younger brother.”
“By wrapping himself around the flag of the Beltway insiders from the jump, Sununu took another step toward sealing his fate and failure,” the Brown campaign stated. “Once he implodes, Scott Brown will be standing tall and ready to carry the Republican flag into the general election next fall.”
Sununu said in a recent interview that he’d “welcome [Trump’s] endorsement” in the latest indication of how he would handle a competitive primary in a state with Democratic senators.
“President Trump has had some great successes,” Sununu told Boston’s local NBC affiliate. “I’m someone who can work from Day One with this administration.”
The Granite State’s open Senate seat is rated “lean Democrat” by nonpartisan election forecasters. The NRSC memo cites the GOP’s voter registration gains in recent cycles and Sununu’s “strong name recognition” and “crossover appeal” as evidence he’s best-positioned to flip the state and help Republicans maintain their Senate majority.
Recent polls show Pappas toppling Brown by double digits in hypothetical matchups, but also suggest Sununu is within striking distance with single-digit deficits, some of which are within the margins of error.
“Senator Sununu’s entrance in the race turns New Hampshire from a potential opportunity into a top Republican pickup,” the NRSC concluded.
JOHN SUNUNU ANNOUNCES BID FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE SEAT
Pappas’s latest campaign fundraising pitch on Monday stated, “Democrats only have a shot at flipping the Senate if we win this race.”
Pappas raised $1.8 million in the third quarter ending in September and had $2.6 million in cash on hand. Brown’s fundraising operation brought in $1.2 million during the same period and finished with $900,000 in the bank. Sununu entered the race last week and will not have to disclose fundraising figures until January.
